title: Risk of recurrent seizures after a primary human herpesvirus 6-induced febrile seizure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that children experiencing first febrile seizures caused by human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) have an increased risk for recurrent seizures when compared with children experiencing first febrile seizures attributed to other illnesses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive prospective study of 36 HHV-6 culture-positive children and a matched subgroup of 86 HHV-6 culture-negative children, all of whom had their first febrile seizures evaluated in a tertiary care emergency department and were followed for at least 12 months, with an average follow-up of 35.7 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  The recurrence of seizures among HHV-6 culture-positive and HHV-6 culture-negative children with no known previous neurologic deficits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A decreased incidence of recurrent seizures occurred in children whose first febrile seizures were caused by HHV-6. Twenty percent of HHV-6 culture-positive children and 40% of HHV-6 culture-negative children (P < 0.038) experienced a recurrent seizure within 1 year of their first febrile seizure. The mean time to recurrence within 12 months was 8.6 months for children with HHV-6 infection and 3.8 months (P < 0.001) for children without HHV-6 infection. Most recurrent seizures occurred within 12 months of a first febrile seizure for both HHV-6-positive and HHV-6-negative children (88 and 91%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children who had their first febrile seizures caused by primary HHV-6 infection did not demonstrate an increased risk for recurrent seizures when compared with children whose first febrile seizures were from other etiologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY, USA.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Schnabel
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sehgal
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology*; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000209:etiology*